A 28-year-old woman and her three-year-old daughter have been rescued from a house fire in County Down.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) was called to a terraced house at Summerhill, Warrenpoint, at 14:45 BST on Saturday.

The pair were found in an upstairs bedroom. They were taken to Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry where their condition is described as stable.

'Heavy smoke'

It is understood the blaze, which began in the kitchen, was accidental.

The NIFRS sent three fire appliances to the scene and said that when crews arrived, they were "confronted by a well developed fire in the kitchen" and "heavy smoke logging throughout all parts of the house".

Six firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the flames and rescued the mother and daughter.

Group commander Edward Carroll said the pair were given first aid at the scene.

"There was a potential that this could have had a very different outcome," he said.

"It is important to emphasis the importance of having a working smoke alarm within your property, because the smoke alarm gave early indications to the people who were in the house and alerted them to the fire."